Convertible street oar



(No Model.)

No. 580,822. PatentedApr.13,1897.

F as 4 I I 'l l l l I I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT STEEL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGN OR TO HIMSELF,CHARLES A. SPRING, WILLITS MAOOMBER, AND LEYVIS G. SCHMUOKER,

OF SAME PLACE.

CONVERTIBLE STREET-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 580,822, dated April13, 1897.

Application filed June 10, 1896.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT STEEL, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city and county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inConvertible Street-Oars, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this IO specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a street-car that may bereadily and effectually transformed from an open or summer car to aclosed or winter car, and the converse,

which car in either case shall in its appearance resemble in allrespects the cars heretofore in use. By the provision of a convertiblecar of this character there is insured great economy in thestorage-space for the cars,

together with a material reduction of the amount of license-fees nowpayable in many cities for the two sets of cars.

In carrying out my invention I construct the car-body in the form of askeleton frame,

2 5 the roof being sustained by posts or uprights rising from the bottomof the car and panels being constructed to be detachably secured betweenthe posts, together with detachable steps and seats and minor featuresof 0011- 0 struction, which will hereinafter fully appear.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a car, one-half thereofbeing fitted up as a closed car and the other half as an open car. Fig.2 is a horizontal section as on the 5 line 00 0c of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is avertical section as on the line y y of Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 are detailsin perspective of seats for use in the two forms of cars, respectively.

A represents the body of the car, whereof 4o dis the floor, and b theroof, supported thereon by the side posts or uprights 0. These posts areerected at intervals apart and are braced at their lower ends by theside pieces d.

In the lateral edges of the roof of the car are longitudinal grooves orchannels e, into which are adapted to be fitted the upper ends of panelsf, the lower ends thereof resting upon the fioor of the car. Thesepanels are each constructed to fit snugly between and flush with theadjacent posts, and they (the panels) dinary closed car.

- cal portion 0.

Serial No. 5 95,005. (No model.)

are provided with sliding window-sashes g, similarly to the sides of anordinary closed car. The sashes are held in place by means of metallicor other strips h, that are detachably affixed by screws 2' or othermeans to the 5 5 intervening posts in such manner that each stripoverlaps the adjacent edges of the ad joining panels. The lower portionsof the panels, as also the corresponding portions of the posts, arecurved inwardly, as at j, simi- 6o larly to the sides of an ordinarycar, and a strip or bead 7.: is run along the angle or corner thusformed and secured to the successive panels, so as to aid still moreeffectually in securing the latter in place. When the panels are thusapplied, a closed car is provided, and the same is equipped withlongitudinallyarranged seats Z, which resemble in general appearance andarrangement those of an or- These seats each comprise a back m, a seatportion n, and a verti- The back is provided with a ledge 19, in whichare cut at intervals corresponding with those of the verticalpostsrecesses g, which are adapted to embrace the posts, while the ledgerests upon and is supported by the side pieces d. The portion 0 restsupon the floor of the car and serves to sustain the seat. The edges ofthe platforms are offset or recessed, as at r, for the reception of thesteps .9, the side pieces of which are detachably held in place byscrews 15 or other suitable means.

By the above-described construction it will be seen that by removing thebeads 70 and the vertical strips h the panels may be readily detachedfrom the car, thereby leaving the sides of the car open, similarly to anordinary summer car; also that the seats and steps may be quicklyremoved. This being done, trans- 9o verse seats u are fitted between theposts on the opposite sides of the car, the ends of the seats restingupon and being supported by the side pieces at. The usual swinging backs'0 for these seats are then pivoted between the 5 posts, as indicated atw, which backs may thus be swung toward either edge of their respectiveseats, as the direction of movement of the car may require.

The open car is equipped with longitudinal 10o steps 00, the same beingprovided with hangers that are detachably secured by screws or bolts tothe bottom-of the car. Each of these steps isalso provided at its endswith pieces at, that enter and fill the recesses from which the previoussteps have been removed.

The posts of the open or summer car thus formed are provided withhandles 3 the same being held in place by screws ,2, that enter thoseholes in the posts which receive the screws for holding the plates inplace. The advantages of a convertible car of the construction describedis manifest. Aside from the fact that it materially reduces the costheretofore incident to the construction of two separate sets of cars, myimproved car, as above stated, insures economy in the storage-space andlicense-fees payable for two sets of cars of ordinary construction.

I claim- 1. A car whereof the body comprises a bottom, a rooflaterally-disposed posts rising from said bottom and sustaining theroof, said posts having the side pieces or braces 01 at their lowerends, panels removably fitted bet-ween the said posts and between theroof and the floor, vertical strips detachably secured to said-posts tooverlap adjacent panels, longitudinally-disposed strips or beads 70secured to the panels at their lower portions, and seats adapted to beremovably supported on the side pieces or braces d and having notcheswhich engage the said posts, substantially as specified.

2. A car whereof the body comprises abottom, with end platforms havingrecesses to receive steps, a roof, laterally-disposed posts rising fromsaid bottom and sustaining the roof, said posts having the side piecesor braces 01 at their lower ends, panels removably fitted between thesaid posts and between the roof and the fioor, vertical stripsdetachably secured to said posts to overlap adjacent panels,longitudinally-disposed strips or beads secured to the panels at theirlower portions, seats adapted to be removably supported on the said sidepieces or braces and having notches which engage the said posts, andsteps detachably secured to the said bottom and platforms and fittingwithin the recesses of the latter, substantially as specified.

3. A car whereof the body comprises a bottom, a roof, laterally-disposedposts rising from said bottom and sustaining the roof, said posts havingside pieces or braces 61 at their lower ends, panels removably fittedbetween the said posts and between the roof and the floor, verticalstrips detachably secured to said posts to overlap adjacent panels, thelower portions of said panels and also the corresponding portions of theposts and the side pieces or braces d being curved inwardly asdescribed, a strip or bead run along the longitudinal angle or cornerthus formed, and secured thereto, and seats adapted to be removablysupported on the side pieces or braces 01 and provided with notcheswhich engage the said posts, substantially as described.

i. A car whereof the body comprises abottom, a roof, laterally-disposedposts rising from said bottom and sustaining the roofpanels removablyfitted between the said posts and between the roof and the floor,vertical retaining-strips secured to said posts to overlap adjacentpanels, screws or bolts for securing said strips to the posts, the screwor bolt holes in the latter being so located as to receive the screws orbolts for detachable handles when the strips are removed, and seatsremovably supported within the car, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

' ROBERT STEEL.

lVituesses:

ANDREW V. GROUPE, JOHN R. NOLAN.

